I recently completed my CELTA last month in Rome, but have since come back and am trying to find schools to email my CV before I take the plunge and organise rented accommodation in Rome.

Does anyone have any advice on how to "approach" schools from abroad or whether my best bet is to actually return to Rome and go to schools, copies of CV in hand? Can I email a number from London and expect some sort of response?

Didn't the CELTA trainers give you any advice about best time to approach schools, or how best to approach them?

You don't need to answer the question, but I'm just curious about how much advice they give out...

You might get a response if you apply from abroad, but most reputable places will at least want to interview you before they consider you for work. April isn't the best time to look, either, as although some courses may start now (or schools need to replace teachers) the majority of work happens from September onwards. Given that mid-July to mid-Sept are dead months, you might end up having to pay rent but not have any income.

One thing I learnt from being in Rome (organising courses, hiring teachers etc) is that everything happens very last-minute. Typically we'd get the go-ahead from the client to start in a couple of weeks' time, then phone around desperately for teachers. So although it might be a good idea to try and line up interest from schools and ask what might be happening from Sept onwards, you might not get any real promise of work until the day itself.

If you have the funds, a brief trip out to Rome now to meet DOS and hand out your CV would be good preparation - much better than just emailing your CV.

I can't comment on the LGBT scene, but Rome - despite its proximity to the Vatican - is a relatively laid-back sort of place.